New hope against Walking Horse abuse
The Tennessean
Rays of light are beginning to penetrate the darkness that has protected abusers of Tennessee Walking Horses, and the dawn is long overdue. The light comes from an unexpected source: the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, ...See all stories on this topic »

Guilty Plea Entered in Tennessee Walking Horse Soring Case
TheHorse.com
Jeff Dockery, who along with high-profile Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell and two others was indicted earlier this year for violating the Horse Protection Act (HPA), has pleaded guilty to one of the counts against him.

Roy Exum: The USDA Is Trying, At Least
The Chattanoogan
The Tennessee Walking Horse industry is still a long way from cleaning up its suddenly brutal image and the biggest governing group, which controls the Celebration, has handily illustrated for years it could care little about violations of the Horse ...

USDA Moves to Better Protect Horses
About - News & Issues
By Robert Longley, About.com GuideJune 8, 2012 Soring is a practice typically used in the training of Tennessee Walking Horses and related breeds to accentuate the horse's distinctively exaggerated gait rewarded in competitions.

USDA rule to combat horse soring
Capital Press (subscription)
By MATTHEW WEAVER A new USDA rule will help eliminate the practice of horse soring, the agency announced. The practice is primarily used in training Tennessee Walking Horses. Soring is done by irritating or blistering a horse's forelegs through ...

6/7/12

Horse trainers accused of soring will now face greater penalties
HorseChannel.com
Hidden-camera footage from inside Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell's stable brought the abhorrent practice into the public eye when it aired on ABC's Nightline last month. Soring has been around in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry ...

USDA Rule Requires Minimum Soring Penalties
TheHorse.com
Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) that manage Tennessee Walking Horse and other gaited horse shows are now required to assess minimum penalties for Horse Protection Act (HPA) violations found at shows and other events they manage under a final rule ...

6/6/2012

USDA moves toward mandatory penalties for horse soring
WBIR-TV
By Brian Wilson / The Tennessean Responding to renewed outrage over the abuse of Tennessee Walking Horses, the federal government moved Tuesday toward stiffer, mandatory penalties for horse soring and other violations of the Horse Protection Act. The ...

USDA approves mandatory penalties for walking horse abuse
TriCities.com
On Tuesday, the USDA decided to implement a new rule that will make penalties for practices like horse soring uniform across the walking horse industry. (more) Stiffer, mandatory penalties will soon be in place for the abuse of Tennessee walking horses...

USDA moving toward mandatory penalties for horse soring
Chattanooga Times Free Press
by Pam Sohn A frame captured from video of a Humane Society of the United States investigation show the measures taken to produce the exaggerated stride of Tennessee Walking Horses. In the video, horses are struck with clubs, shocked and have their ...

Federal government stiffens soring penalties
NASHVILLE (AP) -- The federal government will implement a new rule mandating stiffer penalties for horse soring and other related violations. According to The Tennessean, the US Department of Agriculture's new rule will require organizations that ...

July 2009, American Farriers Journal wins national business editors award
One judge noted "the sheer scope and ambition of the series, which demonstrated a willingness to take some risks at a time when fewer reporters and editors seem willing to do so.” Another remarked on the “writing's passion and power, which built among readers a sense of anger about this abuse of horses and the ability to these criminals to get away with it.” ...read more!